Car-spring



mme 1 E. T. Buss.

` Car Spring. No. 234,850. Patented No'v. 30,1880.

Umts TATES ATENT einen.

ELLSVORTH T. BUSS, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CAR-SPRING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 234,850, dated November 30, 1880.

Application filed April 23, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELLswoR'rH T. Buss, of Newton, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new Compound Spring for Cars and other purposes, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming` `a part hereof.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of one of my compound springs designed especially for cars. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line a: of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a cross-section on line y y of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows a double compound spring embodying my invention.

My compound spring is complete in itself, and can be attached to wagons as elliptic springs now are, or can be substituted for and used on car-trucks where cylindrical rubber springs are now used.

My new compound spring consists of the two iron heads B and C, which constitute the base and top of the spring, respectively, the series of strips of steelA A, shaped as shown, and the rings D, bolted firmly to the heads and clamping each steel strip A firmly to each head, one end of each strip of steel being firmly bolted by means of the ring D andthe screw-bolts shown to the head B, and the other end of each strip being bolted in the same manner to the head C, the end of each steel strip A being bent as shown in the drawings, to lessen the strain upon the fastenin gs when the spring is compressed by pressure or by joltin g, and to permit a greater curvature of the strips of steel A where great elasticity and a spring of small compass is required.

I thus make a compound spring complete in itself, and differing from all other springs known to me in that it combines the firmness, durability, and quality of elasticity peculiar to elliptic springs, with the compactness of a cylindrical rubber spring. The spring thus formed is what constitutes my invention.

It is obvious that the shape of the heads should be varied in order to adapt them to the vehicles on which they are used. Thus, when the spring is intended for use on wagons the heads should be made long and narrow like an elliptical spring, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

I am aware that a series of steel strips have (No model.)

been arranged between two heads, as shown in Patent No. 33,277, dated September 10, 1861 and in British Patent No. 1,245 of' 1861; but in neither of these patents did the strips have the bent ends, which is a distinguishing characteristic of my invention, nor were they fastened in any way to the heads, which is another distinguishing characteristic of my invention. I therefore disclaim the springs described in said patents, and all other springs composed of two heads with a series of steel strips between them, in which the strips lack the bent ends shown in the drawings, or in which they are not securely bolted to the heads.

My invention is an improvement upon that class of springs above referred to; and my improvement consists in bending both ends of each ofthe strips of steel so that they are parallel with and flat upon the heads, and firmly bolting each strip of steel to both the heads by means of these bent ends.

By my invention I do away withA the grind and wear upon the heads and the ends of the strips of steel, which constitute very serious defects in all other springs of this class known to me, and also connect the two heads together by means of the strips of steel, my spring being the only one known to me in which the two heads are held together by strips of steel. Moreover, the elasticity of the strips of steel bent at each end and bolted firmly at each end to heads is widely different from what it would be were the strips of steel not bent at their ends, and where the heads bear directly upon the extreme ends of each strip of steel.

I am also aware that bow-springs composed of wideplates of steel have been applied in combination with the frames otcarriages and cars, as shown in Patent No. 81,969, datedSeptember 8,1868; but in this patent the wide plates of metal are bolted to the frames of the Vehicles on which they are used. My spring differs from that described in this patent in having the two heads connected together by a series of steel strips, the heads and strips of steel making a compound spring complete in itself, and which is applied in a wholly different manner from the bow-springs described in the Allyn patent.

The advantage in having the strips of'steel bolted to heads, as in my spring, is that the IOO The compound spring composed of the heads B and C, rings D, and series of strips of steel A A, each in the form of a how with its ends 15 bent as shown, the strips of steel connecting the heads together, and each strip of steel firmly bolted at one end to one head and at the other end to the other head, as set forth.

ELLSWORTH T. BUSS.

Witnesses:

J. E. MAYNADIER, WM. ZITTEL. 

